Casein-picker.



PATENTED JAN. 28, 1906.

. IRELAND.

GASEIN PICKER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 28, 1904.

if UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Specification of? Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 23, 1906.

Application filed July 28, 1904. Serial No. 218.571-

T0 aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, A BERTsELL IRELAND, of Greene, in the county ofChenango, in the State of New York, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Casein-Pickers, of which the following, taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

This invention relates to machines for picking casein and reducing it tocomparatively fine particles, somewhat resembling coarselyground corn.

In a copending application I have shown and described a casein-manglingmachine in which the curd cakes are partially reduced or broken up intocomparatively small bodies or particles; and the object of my presentmachine is to receive the broken curd after it leaves the mangler andfurther reduce it to the condition above mentioned. This curd isexceedingly tough and rubber-like, and it is therefore necessary toreduce it little by little and still be able to break it up rapidly intosmall particles, the maximum size of which is determined by the size ofthe openings in the screen.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of a casein-pickerembodying the elements of my invention. Figs. 2 and 3 are sectionalviews taken, respectively, on lines 2 2, Fig. 3, and 3 3, Fig. 2. Fig. 4is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of a portion of the metalshell, showing the pickers and holes.

This picker comprises, essentially, a fixed screen cylinder or shell 1and a rotary dasher 2, which is mounted upon and secured to a rotaryshaft 3. This shaft extends centrally through the shell 1 and isournaled in suiting the action and speed of the dasher.

able bearings 4 and is provided with a driving-pulley 5 andbalance-wheels 6 for steady- The dasher is inclosed in the shell 1 andconsists of a series of spiders or arms 7, which are centrally securedto and project equidistant in diametrically opposite directions from theshaft 3 and are united by parallel bars 8. These bars 8 are secured tothe outer ends of the arms 7 equidistant from and parallel with theshaft, and both rotate in substantially the same circular plane, andtheir outer longitudinal edges travel in close proximity to the innerface of the shell 1. This shell preferably consists of opposite circularend heads 9 and a foraminous sheet-metal shell 10, having a lengthwiseopening 11 in its top and extending from end to end between the heads 9.The heads are formed with a central bearing 12, which receive the shaft3 and rest upon suitable standards 13, whereby the screen is held in afixed position.

The cylinder 10 is permanently fastened at its ends by suitable means,as rivets, to the peripheries of the heads 9, and at the front and rearedges of the inlet-opening 1 1 are radiallyprojecting lengthwise flanges14, which are also secured to the heads 9 and serve to stiffen and tohold adjacent edges of the screen in place and also affords a convenientmouth or hopper into which the curd or casein may be fed by hand orotherwise. The body of the cylinder is provided with a series ofcomparatively small holes 15, of uniform size, which are formed by asuitable punch, whereby the-stock removed by the formation of each holeis driven or forced inwardly, so that portions of the stock around eachhole project inwardly beyond the inner face of the cylinder and formabrupt cutting edges or pickers 16, which coact with the dasher-bars toreduce the curd to comparatively fine particles about the size ofcoarselyground corn. The dasher having the bars 8 is rotated at a highrate of speed, and the outer longitudinal edges of said bars 8 travelclosely to the cutting edges of the pickers, so that the curd is throwncentrifugally with great force against the pickers and is finely groundagainst the same by the bars 8 until the particles are sufficiently fineto pass through the apertures 15 of the cylinder, from which theparticles may be collected in any desired manner, not necessary toillustrate or describe.

It is thought that the construction and operation of my improvedcurd-picker is sufficiently illustrated and described to enable any oneskilled in this art to make and use a the same.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

A casein-picker comprising a sheet-metal shell having an inlet in oneside and having an angle-plate arranged at each ed e of said inlet, saidshell being provided wit a series of holes extending throughout theentire surface of the shell, portions of the stock around each holebeing left integral with the shell In Witness whereof I have hereuntoset my ind FesEed linlyirardfly bBYOIIId the inner s1f1rhand this 21stday of July, 1904.

aceo t e s 1e t0 orm pic ers,supp0rts or said shell, a shaft journaledin said supports, A BERTSELL IRELAND radial arms carried by said shaftand flat bars Witnesses:

connected to the outer ends of said radial Jos. E. JULIAND,

arms and forming a dasher. OHAs. W. GRAY.

